Our Most-Liked Designs of the Year: Any of Them Worth Buying as Gifts? | Great Design

Every weekend, QDaily picks a theme and goes looking for great designs.

The Christmas and New Year gift season is nearly here. Still racking your brains for presents for family and friends? We went back through the past year of QDaily's "Great Design" column and picked the designs that drew the most likes, can actually be bought and would make good gifts. The result is this gift (and wallet-draining) list. If you haven't started shopping yet, look here for ideas.

The Mason Watch by Lorenzo Buffa + Analog Watch Co.

Analog Watch Co., the watch brand run by American designer Lorenzo Buffa, launched The Mason Watch this year, a series with marble faces. Each watch is hand-polished from natural marble, and the strap is lined with leather, so it is durable as well as simple and natural to look at. The real appeal of marble is that it forms from sediment laid down over tens of thousands of years as the Earth's crust moves, so no two pieces are alike. The Mason Watch has already been funded on Kickstarter, with prices starting at US$165 (about 1,025 yuan), and comes with a round or hexagonal dial. Click here to try to buy.

Luna Lamp by Acorn

Plenty of lamps borrow the moon, but this one copies it more faithfully. It reproduces the lunar surface, craters and ridges at the right depths, and under its yellow light it looks very warm. It is made of fiberglass and latex, which resist heat and water. It comes in 7 sizes, from 3.2 feet to 236 feet; the mini version runs on batteries and the rest plug in. It is made by Acorn, an art studio in Taiwan. Does it remind you of Jimmy Liao's picture book The Moon Forgot? Prices start at US$65. Here is the crowdfunding link.

Here Active Listening by Doppler Labs

Doppler Labs released this new kind of earphone this year. Strictly speaking, it is a sound filter: by cutting noise at a live event, it makes listeners feel they are right inside the music. According to the company, it can lower the volume by about 12 decibels and bring sound across multiple frequency bands down to the most suitable pressure, so listening stays comfortable and the sound stays "high-definition" and pleasant even in a noisy crowd. It looks like a good thing to bring to a music festival on the lawn or to any concert. It has already been funded on Kickstarter, with prices starting at US$179 (about 1,145 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

Kongji (Empty Table) by Keiji Ashizawa

Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa recently designed a small side table for Zaozuo, a Chinese platform that sells home furnishings direct from the maker. He named it "Kongji," literally "empty table," a name that captures the piece's airy, Zen-like feel. Ashizawa kept to his usual clean, plain style, and with a few strokes he sketches both the loneliness and the fullness of city life. Modern homes tend to be flexible, and this light, simple table works in a living room, a study or a bedroom, holding whatever small things you keep close at hand. It costs 488 yuan. Click here to try to buy.

3Doodler by WobbleWorks

Toy company WobbleWorks launched the 3Doodler back in 2013: the first doodling pen that could draw in three dimensions. It won a crowd of fans and ran a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than US$2.3 million. The 3Doodler needs no software. It has a power supply and two buttons that control how fast the "ink" comes out, and the "ink" is really ABS or PLA plastic filament, so even people who have never learned to draw can build the 3D shapes they imagine. Small cubes are easy; you can draw cartoon characters, buildings, even a piece of clothing. Recently, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, WobbleWorks unveiled the second-generation 3Doodler, 75% smaller and half the weight of the original. It costs US$99.99 (about 640 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

Multifunctional Organizer Bag by This Is Ground

This Is Ground is a handmade leather goods shop in San Francisco. It recently launched an organizer bag for everyday things. One side is sized exactly for a MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air; the other has many different compartments, so glasses, a phone, earphones, pens and cards all slot in neatly. The bag is made entirely of genuine leather and comes in colors including "Bone," "Toffee" and "Cognac." It costs US$399. Here is the purchase link.

Garden Igloo

This clear dome sits in a garden and keeps off the wind and rain. Sitting inside feels like sitting in the open, and it makes a good spot to read, nap or drink tea. The dome shape feels sheltering in itself and works much like a greenhouse; it also reflects sunlight onto the plants around it to help them photosynthesize. It is made entirely of recyclable materials, measures 3.6 meters across and 2.2 meters high, and a beige fabric cover can be bought separately. It costs 899 euros. Here is the purchase link.

Animal Rings by merry me

Playful animal rings also make a good gift. These come from merry me in Thailand. Each set has three rings, and the story only appears when all three are worn together. The squirrel set, for instance, goes on three neighboring fingers, and you see a squirrel sneaking a pine cone; the zebra, sika deer and other sets put all three rings on one finger, and you can turn them to tell different stories. The rings are coated in fired enamel, which gives them bright colors, and each has a small gap so it can adjust to fit. Prices start at 260 yuan. Here is the purchase link.

Moon Glasses by Tale

The moon turns up often in product design, and these ceramic cups borrow its phases. As you pour water in, the black cup moves from crescent to full moon; as you drink it down, the moon wanes again. Korean design studio Tale made them by filling the bottom of each cup with a curved form. Filled with traditional white rice wine, they would be full of atmosphere. They come in two sizes, at US$30 and US$24. Here is the purchase link.

NIU desk accessories by Dragos Motica

A desk organizer set is a practical gift. This one includes a pen holder, a stationery box, a tape dispenser base, a business card box, a phone stand and more, enough to hold almost every small item on a desk. Romanian designer Dragos Motica used cork, his favorite material, topped with white aluminum lids, which gives the set a handmade feel. Round holes in the sides of the boxes add a touch of charm. Single pieces cost between 12 and 24 euros. Here is the purchase link.

awa glass by Norihiko Terayama

This hourglass is by Japanese designer Norihiko Terayama, but he filled it with foam instead of sand. As the bubbles slide down, what you feel is a romantic moment rather than sadness at time slipping away, and that is the designer's point: hold on to the present. The two sizes, 15 centimeters and 9 centimeters tall, run at different speeds and cost US$55 and US$38. Here is the purchase link.

Penguin Planner 2016 by Penguin Books & Weidu (Unread)

This boxed "Penguin Planner 2016" comes from Penguin Books and Weidu. The cover uses the classic three horizontal color bands of Penguin's book covers. The top and bottom sections are a full 2016 calendar, one color per week, and pages tear off without the rest coming loose. In the middle is the planner itself, thread-sewn and glue-bound so it lies completely flat. It is slightly wider than an iPhone 6 and fits straight into a pocket. It costs 188 yuan. Here is the purchase link.

Rekonect Notebook by CJ Good-Man

This plain-looking notebook hides a trick: magnets. The edge of every page is magnetic, so pages can be pulled out and put back in any order, faster and easier than with a spiral-bound notebook. The notebook and its pages also stick to a magnetic whiteboard or a fridge, where they work as sticky notes. The pages can go through an ordinary printer, so the notebook works alongside your electronics. It has 120 pages in 4 formats, with a black faux-leather cover. It is being crowdfunded now, and a US$34 pledge gets you one.

COSMOS by Huzi Design

This set of building blocks that snaps together into spaceships seems made for adults who are still children at heart. It comes from Huzi Design in New York. The parts, spaceship pieces among them, are shaped from solid beech and join directly through a special magnetic system. A set has 28 pieces and 58 connection points and comes in silver, black or natural wood. Once built, the little spaceships feel more substantial than ordinary toys and make a fun accent for an office. A US$150 pledge gets you a complete set. Here is the crowdfunding link.

Pepo Watermelon slicer by Avihai Shurin

Just as people crave fried chicken and beer on a snowy day, what is summer without watermelon? And people have never stopped looking for better ways to cut one. Pepo is a watermelon-cutting gadget that Avihai Shurin designed at the invitation of Monkey Business, a maker of quirky products. The top is plastic and the bottom stainless steel. It works like a cookie cutter: press it hard into a watermelon and out come cute shapes. It costs US$12 (about 77 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

Ginkgo solar tree 4.000mAh by Ryan McSorley

This solar "power bank," shaped like ginkgo leaves, was designed by Ryan McSorley, head of the Shanghai office of design studio XD Design. His aim is to design gifts people want to give, are glad to receive and will use every day. Take this 4,000mAh lithium-battery charger: the ginkgo-leaf solar panels on top charge an iPhone or iPad. It is made of eco-friendly plastic and bamboo, and a small black ridge on the aluminum base holds a phone or tablet upright, so you can charge and watch videos at the same time. Tap the small blue light on the base to check the battery level. There are two USB ports on the back, and it can fully charge an iPhone in two hours. The three "leaves" on top also rotate, which makes it easier to carry. It costs 119.95 euros (about 836 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

Nessie Ladle by Ototo

Israeli homeware brand Ototo launched the Nessie Ladle this year, a ladle shaped like the Loch Ness monster. The designer gave it 4 short, stubby legs, so it can stand on a table or in a soup pot like a pet. Left in a pot of soup, Nessie floats with its head poking out of the surface, and your kitchen instantly gets cuter. It costs US$15.99 (about 100 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

A Bag For Cameras & Essential Carry by Peak Design

This Peak Design bag is reportedly the best-selling bag in Kickstarter history. Peak Design made it with Trey Ratcliff, billed as "the internet's most famous photographer." It expands from 13.5 liters to 20.5 liters, turning an ordinary bag into a camera bag. Inside are plenty of foldable dividers, and a waterproof outer layer plus a fleece lining protect your gear twice over. It costs US$195 (about 1,248 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

Carry On Cocktail by W&P Design & Punch

New York design studio W&P Design and online magazine Punch teamed up this year on "Carry On Cocktail," a portable cocktail kit. A tin box holds the ingredients and small tools, including recipe cards, a spoon, a jigger and coasters. It comes in two flavors, Old Fashioned and Gin & Tonic, so you can mix a drink even on the road. It costs US$24 (about 154 yuan). Click here to try to buy.

Asterisco MM by Cristina Ródenas & Adrián M. Almonacid & LZF

Cristina Ródenas and Adrián M. Almonacid, two designers at Spanish studio Cuatro Cuatros, worked with lighting company LZF to design the Asterisco MM lamp for people who love to read. Besides giving reading light, it has a built-in book rest that holds a book upright at a comfortable angle and frees your hands. When the lamp is on, playful patterns show through the wooden shade, set off by the simple form. You can also prop a tablet or phone on it, or a recipe while you cook. Click here to try to buy.

Cover and banner images from Behance